Table 3.

List of research questions potentially addressed in this cohort study

A. Health services and quality of care
1. Among nursing home residents, what is the impact of acute illness, managed at the nursing home or in the hospital, on patient outcomes including function and mortality?
2. What is the impact of acute illness on symptoms such as pain, depression, agitation?
3. What is the effect of acute illness on functional status, which is a publicly-reported measure of nursing home quality?
4. How often are CNS medications interrupted during care transition periods and what are the factors affecting the pattern of medication interruption?
B. Clinical decision
1. What is the balance of benefit and risk of holding opiates and other CNS medications during acute illness episodes?
C. Epidemiology
1. What is the longitudinal symptom burden, including pain, depression, agitation and others, among nursing home residents?